Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo adds prestigious Dawn Staley Award to ever-growing resume

SOUTH BEND — A season full of accolades for Hannah Hidalgo added arguably the biggest one so far Friday.

Hidalgo was selected for the Dawn Staley Award, given to the nation’s top point guard in women’s college basketball. The Notre Dame freshman is just the second Fighting Irish player to win the award, joining Skyler Diggins-Smith in 2013.

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“The Dawn Staley Award goes to the player who demonstrates exceptional skills, leadership and performance at the guard position," Staley said in a press release. "Hannah’s court vision, passing ability, ball-handling and ability to create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates combined with her relentless defense is unmatched.

“She is the embodiment of a two-way force on the basketball court and the essence of what the award represents. In a season where there are several deserving candidates, Hannah has separated herself from the group.”

Hidalgo set several career milestones in just her first season in college. She broke the ACC record for most Rookie of the Week selections and was the fifth freshman ever selected to the AP First Team All-America team.

She was selected as ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, as her 4.6 steals per game was tops amongst all Division-I players. She also averaged 22.6 points per game, leading the Irish to an ACC Tournament championship and Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

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Hidalgo will accept the award in a virtual presentation April 11.